An executive pastor in New Hampshire recently pleaded guilty to stealing $130,000 from his church to pay off gambling debts.
As reported by The Christian Post, Gregory Neal of Rochester, made unauthorized withdrawals of approximately $130,000 using the debit and credit cards from Journey Baptist Church in Barrington between January 2017 and March 2020.
According to a press release by U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young, Neal “pleaded guilty to a one-count information alleging wire fraud” during his appearance in court last Wednesday.
As an executive pastor, Neal oversaw the daily operations of his church, which included control over its finances.
The charging statute provides a sentence not exceeding 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a maximum fine not surpassing $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, and restitution.
“Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case,” Young explained.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Secret Service while the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande, according to the statement.
As Christian Headlines previously reported, a former church secretary from Alabama was sentenced to close to 2 years in prison last week for stealing more than $89,000 from a church to use it for personal expenses and to gamble away at casinos.
In May 2022, Chanell Easton of Oklahoma City, a 36-year-old wife of a former police chief, was indicted with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for stealing over $360,000 from her church in California while she served as an administrator between 2013 and 2018.
Between June 2013 to February 2018, Easton also stole money from the church’s community food pantry and youth ministry, reports The Christian Post.
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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
